Connector connecting structure for detachable seat

ABSTRACT

A connector connecting structure for a detachable seat is provided which includes a floor-side hook provided rotatably on a floor, an arm coupled and fixed to the floor-side hook, and a floor-side connector provided on the arm, wherein a seat-side hook causes the floor-side hook in a collapsed state to rotate in a direction in which the floor-side hook erects together with the arm, so that a seat-side connector and the floor-side connector are connected to each other, when a seat is attached. The seat is caused to rotate such that the arm is erecting so as to bring both the connectors into connection with each other. The floor-side hook is provided with a semi-ring portion and a straight portion and is supported on the floor at an intermediate portion thereof by a shaft portion, and the arm is coupled and fixed to the floor-side hook via the shaft portion.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a connector connecting structure withwhich a seat of a vehicle or the like is detachably attached to a floorthereof, while bringing floor-side and seat-side connectors intoconnection and disconnection with and from each other, respectively.

2. Related Art

FIG. 5 shows a form of a conventional connector connecting structure fora detachable seat (refer to JP-A-2000-126234).

A detachable seat 91 is such as to be detachably assembled to a linkunit 92 in a passenger compartment of a motor vehicle, as well as beused as a wheelchair after the seat is detached from the link unit 92.The link unit 92 is caused to swing or rotate vertically by a drivingunit, and the detachable seat 91 is detached from the link unit 92 suchthat wheels thereof are in touch with the ground.

Connectors 94, 95 are provided on a frame 93 of the seat 91 and the linkunit 92, respectively, so that both the connectors 94, 95 are fitted andconnected together at the same time as the attachment of the seat 91 andare disconnected to interrupt the connection therebetween at the sametime as the detachment of the seat 91. The seat 91 and the link unit 92are positioned relative to each other by virtue of the engagement of apin 96 with a hole portion 97. A power supply is supplied to the seat 91by virtue of the connection of both the connectors 94, 95 together,whereas the power supply is interrupted by virtue of the disengagementof both the connectors 94, 95 from each other.

In the conventional connector connecting structure for a detachableseat, however, in the event that a gap (a looseness) between thepositioning pin 96 and hole 97, when the seat 91 is assembled to thelink unit 92, the positions of the seat-side connector 94 and the linkunit-side connector tend to deviate easily from each other, and therehas existed a fear that as this occurs, both the connectors 94, 95 arecaused to rub on each other to thereby disrupt a smooth connectionthereof or are inserted obliquely in a prying fashion to thereby inflictdamage on to each other by the gravity of the seat 91.

In addition, the conventional connector connecting structure for adetachable seat is such as to be designed for a special application tothe bitter end and is different from, for example, a connectorconnecting structure for a general detachable seat which is detachedfrom the floor by a user to increase the space inside the passengercompartment of his or her vehicle. In this case, since the connectorremains projecting from the floor after the seat is detached, there iscaused a fear that the occupant of the vehicle steps on or is caught bythe connector to damage it. Alternatively, in the event that theconnector is disposed within the floor in fear of the damage, since dustor drops of water when it rains tend to adhere to the connector when theseat is attached for use (when the connector is connected to its matingone on the seat), there has existed a fear that feeding to the seatfails or the seat malfunctions.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention was made in view of the situations, and an object thereofis to provide a connector connecting structure for a detachable seatwhich enables an efficient, smooth and secure connection between theseat-side connector and the floor-side connector and which can dismissthe fear that the connector fails due to drops of water or dust on thefloor when the seat is in use (when the connector is in connection withits mating one on the seat) or that the occupant is caught by thefloor-side connector to thereby damage the connector after the seat hasbeen detached (the connectors have been disengaged from each other).

With a view to attaining the object, according to a first aspect of theinvention, there is provided a connector connecting structure for adetachable seat including a floor-side hook provided rotatably on afloor, an arm coupled and fixed to the floor-side hook, and a floor-sidehook provided on the arm, wherein a seat-side hook causes the floor-sidehook in a collapsed state to rotate in a direction in which thefloor-side hook erects together with the arm, so that a seat-sideconnector and the floor-side connector are connected to each other, whena seat is attached.

According to the configuration above, the floor-side connector fallstogether with the arm and the hook such that the seat is detached and issituated on or within the floor, and when the seat is attached to thefloor, the seat-side hook pushes on the floor-side hook to cause thefloor-side hook to rotate and erect, and at the same time that thisoccurs, the floor-side connector erects together with the arm so as tobe positioned higher than the floor, and the seat-side connector and thefloor-side connector are brought into connection with each other in thisstate. The connection of both the connectors may be effected by makinguse of the rotational force of the arm when the floor-side hook ispushed, or by rotating the seat such that the floor-side connectorerects, as will be described later on. The floor-side connector isconnected in a direction which intersects the assembling direction ofthe seat at right angles (the connectors are connected together in alongitudinal or transverse direction, whereas the seat is assembled in avertical direction).

According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided aconnector connecting structure for a detachable seat according to thefirst aspect of the invention, wherein the seat is caused to rotate suchthat the arm erects so as to bring the seat-side connector intoconnection with the floor-side connector.

According to the configuration above, a seat-side front facing connectoris brought into connection with a floor-side rear facing connector whilethe floor-side connector is caused to erect together with the arm whilea hook at the rear of the seat is being brought into engagement with ahook at the rear of the floor such that the seat is inclined to therear, for example, and the seat is caused to rotate to the front in thatstate so as to be assembled to the floor horizontally. Alternatively, aseat-side rear facing connector is brought into connection with afloor-side front facing connector while the floor-side connector iscaused to erect together with the arm while a hook at the front of theseat is being brought into engagement with a hook at the front of thefloor such that the seat is inclined to the rear, for example, and theseat is caused to rotate to the rear in that state so as to be assembledto the floor horizontally.

According to a third aspect of the invention, there is provided aconnector connecting structure for a detachable seat according to thefirst or second aspect of the invention, wherein the floor-side hook isprovided with a semi-ring portion and a straight portion and issupported on the floor at an intermediate portion thereof by a shaftportion, and the arm is coupled and fixed to the floor-side hook via theshaft portion.

According to the configuration above, the substantially J-shaped hook onthe floor side is supported smoothly rotatably on the floor side at theintermediate shaft portion. The straight portion of the hook is pushedon by the seat-side hook, whereby the hook rotates about the shaftportion as a fulcrum and the semi-ring portion enters to be brought intoengagement with the seat-side hook, so that both the connectors arefixed to each other. The shape of the seat-side hook is properly set toan annular, U-shaped, J-shaped or L-shaped configuration as required.The floor-side hook and the arm are fixed via the shaft portion, and thefloor-side hook and the arm rotate together about the shaft portion.

According to a fourth aspect of the invention, there is provided aconnector connecting structure for a detachable seat according to thethird aspect of the invention, wherein when the seat-side hook isbrought into engagement with an inside of the semi-ring portion suchthat the floor-side hook erects, a lower end portion of the seat-sidehook is brought into abutment with the straight portion at a positionlying further downward than the shaft portion.

According to the configuration above, the lower end portion of theseat-side hook prevents the rotation of the floor-side hook in theerecting state in a returning (falling) direction such that the seat isattached, so as to maintain the engagement (locking) of both the hooks,as well as the rotation of the floor-side connector in a returning(falling) direction, so as to maintain the connection of both theconnectors.

According to a fifth aspect of the invention, there is provided aconnector connecting structure for a detachable seat according to thethird or fourth aspect of the invention, wherein a guiding projectingportion for the seat-side hook is provided on an inside of a distal endof the straight portion.

The seat-side hook is brought into press contact with the straightportion of the floor-side hook in the collapsed state so as to cause thestraight portion to rotate downward, and furthermore, the seat-side hookcauses the straight portion to rotate further along the projectingportion at the distal end of the straight portion, whereby thefloor-side hook is caused to rotate smoothly and securely.

According to a sixth aspect of the invention, there is provided aconnector connecting structure for a detachable seat according to any ofthe first to fifth aspects of the invention, wherein the floor-sideconnector and the arm fall by gravity so as to be accommodated withinthe floor.

According to the configuration above, when the seat is detached from thefloor, the floor-side connector is caused to fall by gravity so as to beautomatically accommodated into the floor together with the arm forprotection therein. The arm is designed to fall automatically by settingthe center of gravity of the floor-side connector in a direction inwhich the connector is disconnected relative to the arm.

According to the first aspect of the invention, by causing thefloor-side connector to rotate by the pushing force resulting during theattaching work of the seat so as to be brought into connection with theseat-side connector or to move to the position where the floor-sideconnector can be connected to the seat-side connector, an excessiveforce is prevented from being applied to the connector in the connectingdirection, and both the connectors are connected to each other smoothlyand securely. In addition, since the floor-side connector erectstogether with the arm and is brought into connection with the seat-sideconnector at the position lying higher than the floor, dust and/or dropsof water lying on the floor are prevented from adhering to theconnector, whereby the reliability in electrical connection of theconnector is increased. Furthermore, since the floor-side connector liescollapsed together with the arm when the seat is not attached, theinterference thereof with the occupant is prevented, whereby thefloor-side connector is held undamaged safely.

According to the second aspect of the invention, both the connectors canbe connected to each other smoothly without difficulty and securelywhile manually rotating the seat such that the floor-side connector iscaused to erect.

According to the third aspect of the invention, the floor-side hook andthe arm are caused to rotate coaxially, so that the engagement with theseat-side hook and connection with the seat-side connector or rotationto the connecting position therewith can be implemented smoothly andsecurely, whereby the connection of the connectors can be implementedsmoothly and securely.

According to the fourth aspect of the invention, the engagement betweenthe hooks and connection between the connectors are maintained such thatthe seat is attached, thereby making it possible to increase thereliability in fixing the seat to the floor and connecting theconnectors together.

According to the fifth aspect of the invention, since the seat-side hookcan cause the floor-side hook to rotate largely along the projectingportion of the floor-side hook, the engagement of both the connectorsand rotating operation of the floor-side connector can be implementedsmoothly and securely, thereby making it possible to increase thereliability in connecting the connectors together.

According to the sixth aspect of the invention, since the floor-sideconnector is accommodated within the floor at the same time that theseat is detached, accommodating work of the floor-side connector is madeunnecessary, and once the floor-side connector has been so accommodated,the interference thereof with the occupant is prevented, whereby thedamage, deformation or the like of the floor-side connector and the armis prevented, thereby making it possible to increase in reliability inelectrical connection of the connector.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing an embodiment of aconnector connecting structure for a detachable seat according to theinvention.

FIG. 2 is a side view showing a state in which a seat is being attachedto a floor (inside a circle is an enlarged view of a main part of thestructure).

FIG. 3 is a similar side view showing a state in which a rear hook onthe seat is brought into engagement with a rear hook on the floor(inside a circle is an enlarged view of the main part of the structure).

FIG. 4 is a side view showing a state in which the seat has beenattached to the floor (inside a circle is an enlarged view of the mainpart of the structure).

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view showing a form of a conventionalconnector connecting structure for a detachable seat.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIGS. 1 to 4 show an embodiment of a connector connecting structure fora detachable seat according to the invention. FIGS. 2 to 4 are alsoeffective in showing a connectors connecting method for a detachableseat.

As is shown in FIG. 1, a detachable seat 1 is a sliding seat of a motorvehicle and is fixed by bringing metallic hooks provided in four cornersof a bottom portion thereof into engagement with rotary metallic hooks(buckles) on a floor 2 of a vehicle body. A pair of left and rightgrooved guide rails 3 are provided on the floor 2 for guiding thesliding of the seat 1, and a sliding fixable member 4 having a pair offront and rear rotary hooks 61 is brought into slidable engagement witheach guide rail 3.

The sliding fixable member 4 is such that a pair of substantiallyJ-shaped hooks 61 are rotatably supported at the front and rear of asliding plate (denoted also by reference numeral 4) and can be fixed toa desired position on the guide rail 3 by operating a sliding lock lever(not shown) on the seat 1. In this embodiment, for example, a pair ofleft and right erecting pieces (bearings) 66 (FIG. 2) are provided onthe sliding plate 4, the hook 61 is rotatably supported by a metallicshaft portion 62 between the pair of erecting pieces 66, and an escapeslit 67 is provided at a transverse center of the sliding plate 4 inorder for the hook 61 to be rotated downward. The shapes of erectingpiece 66 and the slit 67 are set properly as required.

For example, one of the erecting pieces 66 is disposed close to theoutside of the floor-side hook 61, while the other erecting piece 61 isdisposed close to the outside of an arm 63, which will be describedlater on, and a shaft portion 62 which is passed through the hook 61 andthe arm 63 to be fixed in place therein.

On one of the guide rails 3, a floor-side connector 64 is providedadjacent to the rear hook 61 of the sliding fixable member 4 so as torotate together with the hook 61. A recessed groove 5 is providedbetween the pair of guide rails 3 on the floor 2 in adjacent (close) toand in parallel with the one of the guide rails 3 for allowing the arm63 of the floor-side connector 64 to move in a direction in which theseat is caused to slide, and a deeper recess portion 65 is provided soas to communicate with the recessed groove 5 for accommodating thereinthe connector 64 when it falls to lie horizontally (In FIG. 2, while theguide rail 3 and the recessed groove 5 are illustrated integrally, as amatter of convenience, it is possible to adopt such a configuration).

The connector accommodating recess portion 65 is preferably provided ata rearmost sliding position or frontmost sliding position of the seat 1,for example. The recessed groove 5 can be formed deeper so as to doubleas the connector accommodating recess portion 65. A width of an upperopening (denoted also by reference numeral 3 in FIG. 1) of each of theguide rails 3 is sized so as to allow the seat-side hook 58 to enter theopening. A recessed groove or space is provided in a lower side of theone of the guide rails 3 as shown in FIG. 3 so that a lower end portion61 b of the erecting hook 61 is accommodated and is allowed to movetherein in the direction in which the seat is caused to slide.

As is shown in FIG. 2, when the seat 1 is not attached, the floor-sidehook 61 falls horizontally into the floor 2 to be accommodated thereinso as to rotate about the shaft portion 62. The straight arm 63 iscoupled and fixed to the shaft portion 62, and the floor-side connector64 is provided at a distal end of the arm 63. The hook 61 and the shaftportion 62 make up a driving unit 60 for the arm 63. The arm 63 can befixed not to the shaft portion 62 but to a side of a straight portion 61b of the hook 61.

The hook 61 is provided with a arc-shaped semi-ring portion 61 a at adistal end thereof, the straight portion 61 b at a proximal end thereofand a projecting portion 61 c provided at a distal end of the straightportion 61 b so as to face inward. The shaft portion 62 is preferably soshort that the arm 63 is disposed close to or in contact with the hook61. It is also possible to dispose the connector 64 in a position whichlies away from the hook 61 by extending the shaft portion 62.

As is shown in FIGS. 1, 2, the floor-side connector 64 of the inventionis provided integrally with the arm 63, and a rectangular connectorhousing (denoted also by reference numeral 64) made of a synthetic resinis formed integrally with the arm 63 which is formed of a syntheticresin into a rectangular post shape. A rear portion 64 b of theconnector housing projects more than the arm 63 toward an opposite endto a fitting front end face 64 a thereof, so as to allow the arm 63 tofall by the gravity of the connector 64. A plurality of electricallywired terminals (not shown) are accommodated within the connectorhousing, and individual electric wires (not shown) are led out of theconnector housing so as to make up part of a floor wiring harness, theconnector 64 being provided with the connector housing and theelectrically wired terminals.

The shaft portion 62 is coupled to a proximal end portion (an oppositeend portion to the connector 64) of the arm 63, and the shaft portion 62is coupled to an intersecting portion between the semi-ring portion 61 aand the straight portion 61 b of the hook 61 or in the vicinity of theintersecting portion. The shaft portion 62 is fixed to the hook 61 andthe arm 63.

The fitting front end face 64 a of the connector 64 is situated to beoriented upward such that the arm 63 and the connector 64 fall flattogether with the hook 61. For example, the floor-side connector 64preferably accommodates therein an electrically wired female terminal(not shown) and has a small terminal inserting hole (not shown) providedin the fitting front end face 64 a so as to face a male terminal (notshown) of a seat-side connector 8 from the viewpoint of preventing theintrusion of dust or the like into the connector. The terminal insertinghole or an opening in a connector fitting compartment (when the maleterminal is accommodated) can be made to be closed by a shutter.

While in the example shown in FIG. 2, the fitting front end face 64 a ofthe floor-side connector 64 is made to project slightly upward from thesurface of the floor (denoted also by reference numeral 2) so as to makeit difficult for dust to enter the inside of the connector 64, thefitting front end face 64 a can be accommodated completely within thefloor. The floor-side hook 61 can also be accommodated completely withinthe floor.

In addition, the arm 63 is formed of a metal separately from theconnector 64, and the connector 64 can be screwed to the arm 63 or fixedthereto by means of insert molding. The shapes of the arm 63 and theconnector 64 are set properly as required.

The pair of substantially inverted U-shaped hooks 58 are disposed at thefront and rear of the bottom portion of the seat in a direction in whichthe hooks 58 intersect the hooks 61 on the floor side at right angles.The seat-side connector 8 is disposed in a position lying closer to oneside of the seat 1 and in the vicinity of the rear hook 58 at a rear endof the seat 1 which lies close to the bottom portion thereof so as toface to the front (a fitting front end face 8 a thereof (FIG. 3) facesto the front). The seat-side connector 8 continues to a wiring harnessportion 9 within the seat. In the event that the floor-side connector 64accommodates therein a female terminal (not shown), the seat-sideconnector 8 has a male terminal (not shown) accommodated within aconnector housing, and the connector housing has a connector fittingcompartment (not shown) into which a tab-shaped or pin-shaped electriccontact portion of the male terminal is made to project.

In the state shown in FIG. 2 where the seat 1 is detached, thefloor-side hook 61 and the arm 63 fall flat about the shaft portion 62as a fulcrum by gravity so as to be situated horizontal, and thefloor-side connector 64 is substantially accommodated within the floor 2with the fitting front end face 64 a of the connector 64 being situatedto be oriented upward. The floor-side connector 64 is accommodatedwithin the recess portion 65 on the floor 2, whereby the interferencethereof with the occupant is prevented, and the fear is dismissed thatthe floor-side connector 64 would be damaged or deformed due to theinterference. The recess portion 65 can be deepened deeper than shown inFIG. 2 so as to accommodate the floor-side connector completely withinthe floor 2.

As is shown in FIGS. 2 to 3, the left and right hooks 58 at the rear ofthe seat 1 are simultaneously brought into engagement with the left andright hooks 61 at the rear of the floor 2 with the seat positioned to beinclined to the rear. The floor-side hooks 61 rotate clockwise from thestate shown in FIG. 2 so as to fix the seat-side hooks 58 in place insuch a manner that the seat-side hooks 58 are not disengaged from thefloor-side hooks 61, respectively. The inwardly inclined or curvedsurface of the projecting portion 61 c of the hook 61 acts as a guidingsurface relative to the seat-side hook 58.

The arm 63 erects vertically in association with the rotation of one ofthe hooks 61, whereby the fitting end face 64 a of the floor-sideconnector 64 which lies at the distal end of the arm is made to face tothe rear. As is shown in FIG. 3, since a lower end portion (a horizontalportion) 58 a of the seat-side hook 58 is brought into contact with theportion (the straight portion) 61 b of the erecting floor-side hook 61which lies further downward than the shaft portion 62 thereof, thereturning (falling) of the floor-side hook 61 toward the front isinterrupted.

In this state, when the seat is restored forward to its normal positionwhile being caused to rotate downward as is shown in FIG. 4, theseat-side connector 8 is fitted in the floor-side connector 64. As withthe rear hooks 61 on the floor 2, the front hooks 61 thereon are pushedby the front hooks 58 on the seat 1 to be caused to rotate clockwise tothereby be brought into engagement with the hooks 58 on the seat 1 so asto fix the hooks 58 in place.

By bringing the lower end portion 58 a of the seat-side hook 58 intoabutment with the straight portion 61 b of the floor-side hook 61 whichlies further downward than the shaft portion 62 thereof, the forwardrotation of the floor-side hook 61 is prevented, whereby both the hooks58, 61 are held in an engaged (locked) state. In FIG. 4, while thereexists a gap between the lower end portion 58 a and the semi-ringportion 61 a, a vertical looseness is prevented by bringing left andright curved portions 58 b of the hook 58 which continue to the lowerend portion 58 a thereof into abutment with the semi-ring portion 61 a.

As a locking unit for preventing the disengagement of the floor-sidehook 61 in this state, a horizontal pin (not shown), for example, isinserted so as to be brought into abutment with the projecting portion61 at the proximal end of the floor-side hook 61 or like, or the hook 61is fixed to the sliding fixable member 4 on the floor side or the likeby a releasable locking unit or the like (not shown), so that the fixingstrength of the seat 1 can be enhanced.

Since the floor-side connector 64 is situated higher than the floorsurface 2 when the seat 1 is attached (when the connectors 8, 64 areconnected together), adhesion of dust and/or drops of water lying on thefloor to the connector 64 can be prevented in an ensured fashion.

It is preferable to specify the attaching position of the seat 1, thatis, the connecting position of the connectors 8, 64 to the slidingrearmost position or sliding frontmost position of the seat 1 infacilitating the work of bringing the seat-side hooks 58 into engagementwith the floor-side hooks 61 and accommodating the floor-side connector64 in the predetermined recess portion 65 on the floor 2. In a casewhere the recessed groove 5 (FIG. 1) provided on the floor 2 to allowthe arm 63 of the connector 64 to be moved in the seat sliding directionis formed deeper so as to double as the connector accommodating recessportion 65, the seat 1 can be attached and detached at a desiredposition in a longitudinal direction of the guide rail 3.

When the seat 1 is detached, locking units of the front hooks 61 on thefloor side are operated to be released so as to release the engagementthereof with the front hooks 58 on the seat side, and as is shown inFIG. 3, the seat 1 is caused to fall obliquely rearward round the rearhooks 58 as fulcrums, whereby the seat-side connector 8 can easily bedisconnected from the floor-side connector 64. In this state, lockingunits (not shown) of the rear hooks 61 are operated to be released so asto release the engagement thereof with the rear hooks 58 on the seatside, whereby the seat can easily be detached. The fitting of both theconnectors 8, 64 is released, and at the same time as this occurs, thefloor-side connector 64 falls about the shaft portion 62 as a fulcrum bygravity so as to be accommodated into the recess portion 65 or therecessed groove 5 on the floor 2 for protection.

Note that while in the embodiment, the seat 1 is made to freely slide inthe longitudinal direction of the vehicle along the guide rails 3, inthe case of a seat which does not have to slide, the guide rails 3, thesliding fixable members 4 and the recessed groove 5 on the floor 2 areomitted, while a recess portion 65 for accommodating the connector 64and the arm 63 when they fall and recess portions for accommodating thelower end portions of the hooks 61 when they erect are provided on thefloor 2.

In this case, as the attaching method of the seat 1 and the fittingengagement and disengagement method of the connectors 8, 64, theconnectors may be connected together at the same time that the seat 1 isassembled to the floor vertically as is shown in FIG. 1 (this methodwill be described in detail later on), or as is shown in FIGS. 2 to 4,the seat 1 may be assembled to the floor in a tilted state, and the seat1 is caused to rotate horizontally in that state for connection of theconnectors. In the case of the seat that cannot slide, the orientationand rotating direction of the floor-side hooks 61 do not necessarilyhave to be longitudinal but can be transverse (a transverse direction ofthe vehicle).

In addition, in the case of the sliding seat 1, the sliding fixablemember 4 can be divided into front and rear members so as to correspondto the front hook 61 and the rear hook 61 on the floor, respectively.Additionally, the other floor-side hooks 61 than the front hooks 61 andthe hook 61 lying in the vicinity of the floor-side connector 64 can beformed into an inverted U-shape as with the seat-side hooks 58 or can beformed into other fixing configurations than the hook one such as abolting configuration.

Furthermore, the seat 1 can be caused to rotate to the rear while thefront hook 61 on the floor 2 is being pushed to be caused to rotate anderect by not the rear hook 58 but the front hook 58 on the seat 1, sothat a front connector (8) on the seat 1 can be brought into connectionwith a connector (64) on the floor side. In this case, the front hook 61and connector 64 are disposed to be oriented longitudinally reverselywith respect to what is shown in FIG. 1, and a fitting front end face 8a of the seat side connector 8 is disposed to face to the rear.

Moreover, in place of pushing the front hooks 61 on the floor 2 by thefront or rear hooks 58 on the seat 1 so as to cause the front hooks 61to rotate and erect by tilting the seat 1 during the attaching workthereof, the seat 1 can be assembled to the floor 2 from above in ahorizontally held state as shown in FIG. 1 without being tilted, wherebythe floor-side hooks 61 are caused to rotate and erect by the verticalhooks 58 on the seat 1, so that the floor-side connector 64 can befitted on the horizontal connector 8 on the seat side by virtue of therotational force of the hook 61. The seat assembling method shown inFIG. 1 in which the seat 1 is lowered direct downward while heldhorizontal so as to be assembled to the floor 2 is a basic methodcompared to the attaching method of the seat 1 shown in FIGS. 2 to 4,and the way of fitting both the connectors 8, 64 together in theassembling method shown in FIG. 1 is more efficient than the way used inthe attaching method shown in FIGS. 2 to 4 and the connectors connectingwork can be facilitated further, since the forward rotation of the seat1 shown in FIGS. 3 to 4 is made unnecessary.

In this case, in place of connecting the connectors together such thatthe floor-side connector 64 is kept erecting perpendicularly as is shownin FIG. 3, the floor-side connector 64 can be caused to rotate largelyfurther rearward than the perpendicular position so as to be connectedto the seat-side connector 8 which is disposed to be oriented obliquelyupward. In addition, on the contrary to this, the floor-side connector64 can be caused to rotate to a position just before the perpendicularposition so as to be connected to the seat-side connector 8 which isdisposed to be oriented obliquely downward. Also, in these cases, thedisconnection of the connectors 8, 64 can easily be implemented byreleasing the fixed front hook 61 so as to allow the seat 1 to berotated to the rear as is shown in FIG. 3.

1. A connector connecting structure for a detachable seat comprising: afloor-side hook provided rotatably on a floor; an arm coupled and fixedto the floor-side hook; and a floor-side connector provided on the arm,wherein a seat-side hook causes the floor-side hook in a collapsed stateto rotate in a direction in which the floor-side hook erects togetherwith the arm, so that a seat-side connector and the floor-side connectorare connected to each other, when the seat is attached.
 2. A connectorconnecting structure for a detachable seat according to claim 1, whereinthe seat is caused to rotate such that the arm erects so as to bring theseat-side connector into connection with the floor-side connector.
 3. Aconnector connecting structure for a detachable seat according to claim1, wherein the floor-side hook is provided with a semi-ring portion anda straight portion and is supported on the floor at an intermediateportion thereof by a shaft portion, and the arm is coupled and fixed tothe floor-side hook via the shaft portion.
 4. A connector connectingstructure for a detachable seat according to claim 3, wherein when theseat-side hook is brought into engagement with an inside of thesemi-ring portion such that the floor-side hook erects, a lower endportion of the seat-side hook is brought into abutment with the straightportion at a position lying further downward than the shaft portion. 5.A connector connecting structure for a detachable seat according toclaim 3, wherein a guiding projecting portion for the seat-side hook isprovided on an inside of a distal end of the straight portion of thefloor-side hook.
 6. A connector connecting structure for a detachableseat according to claim 1, wherein the floor-side connector and the armfall by gravity so as to be accommodated within the floor.